Last year on January 1, 2020, I decided that I was going to come up with a key phrase for the year.
“Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust,” was what I picked.
I always have faith and I trust that things will turn out in the end.
Pixie dust was because I believe in the magic that surrounds us, and I’m a bit of a Disney nut.
Things started out amazing!
I was able to travel back to Nashville and present at the Public Library Association Conference. It was amazing!
I was able to connect with a couple of friends from Paris while I was there. It was amazing!
I remember traveling to and from this conference without a mask, but with a whole LOT of sanitizing wipes. I handed them out liberally on the plane. I didn’t wear a mask. It wasn’t a statement, it just wasn’t a thing at the time.
Two weeks after returning home, the world changed.
To me, this whole year has been about faith and trust.
I have always liked the Biblical definition of faith as in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not yet seen.”
I trust in that faith.
I have faith that God is giving us what we need to see us through these trying times.
I trust Him to provide us with the supports we need.
And, He has!
My little family has had to have a lot of faith and trust over the years.
We have picked up and moved across the country twice.
We had no idea what we were heading toward, but in each instance that leap of faith has led to amazing opportunities that we not would have otherwise had.
More than once we have said, “Okay, God, now what?”
That pixie dust at the end is taking the opportunities that are provided and using it to sprinkle magic dust to help ourselves grow.
God could plop us down anywhere, but if we don’t take advantage of the opportunities surrounding us, we might as well have stayed put.
This year, to me, that has included information provided by the CDC and WHO. They give us information, guidelines, and it is up to us to make decisions. Those decisions, have not always been easy, but they are what has been fitting for our family.
These opportunities have given our high school junior that opportunity to take classes virtually, and include courses that she would not otherwise have at her disposal in the face to face atmosphere. Our college student has had the opportunity to spread out the final classes of her Associates Degree, because why hurry to finish if everything is online anyways. And, with my husband working from home, he has been here to be a hands on dad – troubleshooting computer issues, taking kiddos to doctor appointments, and to orchestra practice. Things he would normally miss out on due to his work schedule.
My job has been back face to face, sometimes with people in the library and other times just offering curbside service. In any case, we have been crazy busy! It seems like every time I get worn down and need a couple of days off, days I would not normally schedule myself, I end up needing to quarantine for a couple of days. Either I have been exposed, I have a few symptoms and need to wait for test results, or someone else in my family does. In each case, no one in the house has tested positive, but I did get a good bit of rest and was able to go back to work and take my 100% with me. Some might look at it differently, but I look at it as, I needed a rest and God knew I wasn’t going to sit my butt down unless He proverbially shoved me into a chair.
Oh, and we got a second dog.
A BIG, doofy doggo.
They said he was part Beagle.
I think they are wrong.
There are a lot of things that were missed this year, but I would prefer to look at the positives.
So, this last year was Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust.
I haven’t decided my phrase for next year, but I think it might include wine.
Accidental Southern Mama 